Table 2.
Physiologic Measures of Dyspnea in 299 Patients with Advanced Cancer
| Characteristics | N (%)a |
|---|---|
| Vitals, median (interquartile range) | |
| Heart rate/minute | 88 (77–100) |
| Respiratory rate /minute | 20 (18–20) |
| Oximetry, % | 96 (95–98) |
| Supplemental oxygen level, L/minute | 2 (0–3) |
| Oxygen device | |
| None | 129 (43) |
| Nasal cannula | 152 (51) |
| Nonrebreather mask | 6 (2) |
| Vapotherm | 11 (4) |
| Others | 1 (0.3) |
| Respiratory Distress Observation Scale | |
| Heart rate | |
| <90/minute | 164 (55) |
| 90–109/minute | 97 (32) |
| ≥110/minute | 38 (13) |
| Respiratory rate | |
| ≤18/minute | 108 (36) |
| 19–30/minute | 189 (63) |
| >30/minute | 2 (1) |
| Restlessness | |
| None | 246 (82) |
| Occasional, slight movements | 50 (17) |
| Frequent movements | 3 (1) |
| Paradoxical breathing pattern | 0 (0) |
| Accessory muscle use | |
| None | 271 (91) |
| Slight rise | 28 (9) |
| Pronounced rise | 0 (0) |
| Grunting at end-expiration | 3 (1) |
| Nasal flaring | 3 (1) |
| Look of fear | |
| None | 237 (79) |
| Eyes wide open, facial muscles tense, brow furrowed, mouth open, teeth together | 61 (21) |
| Total score, median (interquartile range) | 2 (1–3) |
a
Unless otherwise specified.